It's Christmas Eve and it has been some time since I have posted anything. This has been a rough year with lots of illness, too much change and just a lot of emotional processing going on. I don't know that I wanted to write from out of that place these past couple of months. So Christmas is tomorrow. The time when pretty much the whole world celebrates. Some truly celebrate what the day is about; the blessed birth of our Saviour. Many others celebrate presents and food and spending too much money. I wanted to end this year on a high note. I wanted to talk about the present given to us, that gift of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Cory Asbury sings a song called 'Reckless Love'. Many have been offended by it saying that God is not reckless, that the song misrepresents Him. When I think of the love of Christ, that love that gave all for me I don't see the contradiction in the word. I'm not sure what Webster's says reckless is but in my mind reckless means without any thought to self-preservation. And that is exactly how God was thinking when He sent His Son to be born and then to die. Philippians 2:5-8 says this, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Jesus had no thought of self-preservation when He came down from heaven to be born as a baby. This child, born in human flesh felt the cold, felt hunger, felt all that we feel.
Another song I love at Christmas is 'Mary did you know?' Yes, she knew what the angel of the Lord had spoken, but did she really know? Did she know that this beautiful baby boy would one day die for her sins along with all of ours? Did she know that He would bear the crushing weight of every sin from the beginning of time until time passes away? Did she know that she would watch as He suffered on that cross, as His flesh was torn, as those nails were hammered in? I cannot even imagine the agony she felt as she witnessed her beloved son bruised, broken and battered. She may not have known the full extent of what would happen, but Jesus did. He knew! And He still went through with it. All for the love of His Father and for the love of us.
That is reckless love. Giving all when He could expect nothing in return. All in the hopes that we would accept His sacrifice and receive salvation. If I were a gambling man I don't think I would take that bet. In the minds of the disciples, in the minds of His friends and family what were they thinking when Jesus was taken off that cross? Dead is dead. Sure He may have raised a few from the dead, but this is different. Jesus is dead, who is going to raise Him? Sounds not only reckless but irresponsible. I have been reading a book by Simon Tugwell, The Beatitudes: Soundings in Christian Tradition. It goes into depth on the Beatitudes and really brings to light what Jesus was teaching. On the chapter about "blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy' it speaks of the mercy that God showed to us all, in our sin. It shows how we as Christ-followers are to show the same mercy to others, regardless of who we are. It speaks of almsgiving, giving to those in need. "The reason why almsgiving is a remedy for sin is that it is a way of restoring likeness to God. And it is like God because it is reckless. The rule that our Lord gives is absolutely clear and unambiguous; 'Give to everyone who asks' (Luke 6:30)...When our Lord tells us to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful, he prefaces this command with the declaration that God gives to the good and bad alike with no distinctions (Luke 6:35). He is, if you like, irresponsible in his giving. He does not wait to see whether we are going to make good use of his gifts before he gives them; his grace is not given strictly in accordance with how he foresees we shall profit by it. He rains upon the just and the unjust in equal measure, regardless of whether or not the unjust hath the just's umbrella. God gives abundantly to all and sundry, without stint, without calculation...It is in this spirit also that God forgives. Forgiveness is only a special instance of the way in which God manages all his giving. He does not say, 'Well, all right; you're a good chap underneath, I'll give you one more chance.' When St. Peter wanted to make sure he had got the arithmetic of forgiveness right, he was answered only with a sum he probably did not know how to do. Forgiveness is reckless. It squanders itself upon rogues who have no intention of improving themselves. All it asks for is that it be received. The only unforgivable sin in the sin against forgiveness; the sin which directly and immediately refuses forgiveness."
While I know that God has plans for us, that He thought through the beginning from the end, I am so grateful that He took no thought of laying it all down for us. He lay down His royalty. He lay down His power. He lay down His immortality and took up our flesh. Why did He do that? He did that for the one in a million chance that you would say yes. No offense, but it was a cosmic crap shoot, the dice flying and the odds were always in our favor. We win! We always win.
Reckless love. Irresponsible giving. Just another name for grace. I pray that in the hustle and bustle of tonight and tomorrow that you remember that grace. That you remember that the little baby born in a manger did not stay there. He became a man who became our substitute on the cross. He gave all that you might have all. And in remembering that, remember that it was all because of His love for us. His love was shown in His grace. Let us love others like Christ loved us. Let us show others grace like He showed us. Let us be reckless like our Father and give without stint or calculation. Let us be like Christ, we may be the only ones reckless enough to do so.
To listen to the song Reckless love follow this link, https://youtu.be/6xx0d3R2LoU
Tugwell, Simon. The Beatitudes; Soundings in Christian Tradition, Templegate, 1980. pp 91,92
Cory Asbury sings a song called 'Reckless Love'. Many have been offended by it saying that God is not reckless, that the song misrepresents Him. When I think of the love of Christ, that love that gave all for me I don't see the contradiction in the word. I'm not sure what Webster's says reckless is but in my mind reckless means without any thought to self-preservation. And that is exactly how God was thinking when He sent His Son to be born and then to die. Philippians 2:5-8 says this, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Jesus had no thought of self-preservation when He came down from heaven to be born as a baby. This child, born in human flesh felt the cold, felt hunger, felt all that we feel.
Another song I love at Christmas is 'Mary did you know?' Yes, she knew what the angel of the Lord had spoken, but did she really know? Did she know that this beautiful baby boy would one day die for her sins along with all of ours? Did she know that He would bear the crushing weight of every sin from the beginning of time until time passes away? Did she know that she would watch as He suffered on that cross, as His flesh was torn, as those nails were hammered in? I cannot even imagine the agony she felt as she witnessed her beloved son bruised, broken and battered. She may not have known the full extent of what would happen, but Jesus did. He knew! And He still went through with it. All for the love of His Father and for the love of us.
That is reckless love. Giving all when He could expect nothing in return. All in the hopes that we would accept His sacrifice and receive salvation. If I were a gambling man I don't think I would take that bet. In the minds of the disciples, in the minds of His friends and family what were they thinking when Jesus was taken off that cross? Dead is dead. Sure He may have raised a few from the dead, but this is different. Jesus is dead, who is going to raise Him? Sounds not only reckless but irresponsible. I have been reading a book by Simon Tugwell, The Beatitudes: Soundings in Christian Tradition. It goes into depth on the Beatitudes and really brings to light what Jesus was teaching. On the chapter about "blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy' it speaks of the mercy that God showed to us all, in our sin. It shows how we as Christ-followers are to show the same mercy to others, regardless of who we are. It speaks of almsgiving, giving to those in need. "The reason why almsgiving is a remedy for sin is that it is a way of restoring likeness to God. And it is like God because it is reckless. The rule that our Lord gives is absolutely clear and unambiguous; 'Give to everyone who asks' (Luke 6:30)...When our Lord tells us to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful, he prefaces this command with the declaration that God gives to the good and bad alike with no distinctions (Luke 6:35). He is, if you like, irresponsible in his giving. He does not wait to see whether we are going to make good use of his gifts before he gives them; his grace is not given strictly in accordance with how he foresees we shall profit by it. He rains upon the just and the unjust in equal measure, regardless of whether or not the unjust hath the just's umbrella. God gives abundantly to all and sundry, without stint, without calculation...It is in this spirit also that God forgives. Forgiveness is only a special instance of the way in which God manages all his giving. He does not say, 'Well, all right; you're a good chap underneath, I'll give you one more chance.' When St. Peter wanted to make sure he had got the arithmetic of forgiveness right, he was answered only with a sum he probably did not know how to do. Forgiveness is reckless. It squanders itself upon rogues who have no intention of improving themselves. All it asks for is that it be received. The only unforgivable sin in the sin against forgiveness; the sin which directly and immediately refuses forgiveness."
While I know that God has plans for us, that He thought through the beginning from the end, I am so grateful that He took no thought of laying it all down for us. He lay down His royalty. He lay down His power. He lay down His immortality and took up our flesh. Why did He do that? He did that for the one in a million chance that you would say yes. No offense, but it was a cosmic crap shoot, the dice flying and the odds were always in our favor. We win! We always win.
Reckless love. Irresponsible giving. Just another name for grace. I pray that in the hustle and bustle of tonight and tomorrow that you remember that grace. That you remember that the little baby born in a manger did not stay there. He became a man who became our substitute on the cross. He gave all that you might have all. And in remembering that, remember that it was all because of His love for us. His love was shown in His grace. Let us love others like Christ loved us. Let us show others grace like He showed us. Let us be reckless like our Father and give without stint or calculation. Let us be like Christ, we may be the only ones reckless enough to do so.
To listen to the song Reckless love follow this link, https://youtu.be/6xx0d3R2LoU
Tugwell, Simon. The Beatitudes; Soundings in Christian Tradition, Templegate, 1980. pp 91,92